Africa: Statements by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, during the launch of the Global Investment Summit in Africa

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Dubai – Text of a speech by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, during the launch of the Global Investment Summit in Africa in Dubai on February 3, 2026.

Thank you very much, brother Akin, and thank you for this invitation.

I am pleased to join you this evening at the launch of the Global Investment Summit in Africa, an idea whose time has truly come.

Let me begin by warmly commending Dr. Adesina and Ms. Margaret Krause for their vision and leadership in creating this strategic platform.

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The Global Investment Summit in Africa has the potential to radically change how global capital engages with Africa, at scale, with purpose, and for mutual prosperity.

I know that this is the result of the many meetings and discussions we have had with Akin, who has traveled to Ghana several times, and the results of planning his post-retirement activities. And I’m happy that, soon after, after his retirement, he came up with this amazing platform to help Africa.

I have known Dr. Adesina for a long time. He’s a friend, a brother. His decades leading the African Development Bank Group were marked by transformative achievements that impacted the lives of more than 565 million people across the African continent.

When he ended his term in September 2025, it was clear that his commitment to Africa’s progress would not end with his departure from the Bank. So it is not surprising that today’s Africa is, I call it, the optimistic leader.

Once again, an optimistic African leader is leading a bold initiative, this time on a truly global investment stage. The summit’s theme, mobilizing global capital for Africa’s next chapter of growth, captures this moment with remarkable clarity. The global landscape is changing rapidly.

Geopolitical fragmentation, realignment of supply chains, the declining role of traditional aid, and intense competition for capital and resources require a new approach. Africa cannot be a passive participant in this new global era. We must work to shape how the world interacts with us, and most importantly, on our terms.

This conviction has inspired what we call the “Accra Reset,” a clarion call for a clear shift away from aid dependence toward economic sovereignty, self-determination, and investment-led growth. Moving from aid to investment is not only desirable; it is necessary. It is essential for sustainable development.

Therefore, the launch of the World Investment Summit in Africa is not symbolic. It is the verb itself. Africa has enormous sovereign assets.

Our challenge is to transform these assets into credible, investable portfolios with clear revenue themes, bankable structures, and long-term returns that support the prosperity of our people. Institutional investors seek stability. They look for volume and predictability.

Africa can provide all three if our assets are properly valued, organized and managed. Ghana is an example of this. Our natural resources form the backbone of a strong investment proposition.

Gold is Ghana’s largest asset. We are the largest producer in Africa and among the top ten globally, with annual production exceeding 5 million ounces. With the right asset structuring frameworks in place, gold alone can generate several billion dollars annually to support Ghana’s growth, Ghana’s infrastructure, and Ghana’s manufacturing.

With the initial restructuring of our gold export sector, gold volumes from the small-scale mining sector alone, excluding large-scale mining, increased from 63 tons in 2024 to 104 tons in 10 months, generating revenues of $10 billion in 10 months.

Ghana is also the world’s fourth-largest producer of manganese, a strategic mineral for the production of steel and electric vehicle batteries. Our bauxite reserves qualify us to play a central role in global value chains.

We are determined not to remain exporters of raw materials, but to become participants in value addition and manufacturing. That is why Ghana has taken the bold decision to ban the export of raw mineral ore. We invite global investors to participate with us, not only in extraction, but also in value creation.

These partnerships will generate employment, transfer skills, increase foreign exchange earnings, and strategically position Africa within the geopolitics of critical minerals, metals, and rare earths. Global capital does not pursue isolated projects. It invests in platforms.

What the Global Investment Summit in Africa offers is precisely well-structured and scalable investment platforms in the areas of minerals, energy, infrastructure, trade and logistics. Africa already has the assets. What we are building now is the architecture that enables those assets to speak the language of global capital.